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Production
Date: 1919 - 1923
Price When New: $46.00 (See "Catalog Description" above)
Case: Silver
Case Manufacturer: Fahys
Production for this Variation: Unknown
Movement: 981 - 17-jewel Movement
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Comments:
This "spring bar" lugged 981 Cushion is thought to be a variation of the Wire
Lugged Cushion and is the first of three distinct cushion designs -
the second being the "Round Form" cushion introduced in 1922 and the
third being the "Form Opening" cushion introduced in 1926.
When introduced in 1917, women's
wrist watches were significantly more common than men's wrist
watches - proper men wore pocket watches as watches worn on the
wrist was considered to be feminine. In an effort to promote the
masculinity of wearing a watch on the wrist, Hamilton specifically
marketed the Cushion to soldiers returning from the war and
"adventurers" as described in the 1922 catalog (see "Catalog
Description" above). In the 1920 catalog, the No. 981 Cushion was
further described in the following manner:
"This watch was tremendously popular
with the American Expeditionary Force and the U.S. Navy, and we have
never been able to meet the demand for it."
Little is known of the Pin Lugged 981
Cushion and there are no surviving records describing its
production.
The 0-sized wristwatch was the first
"wrist watch for men" advertised in the Hamilton Catalog and is a
rare and historically significant timepiece.
This model was one of six
geometrically shaped wristwatches that were popular up
until the late 1920's. Hamilton's
"Geometric" offerings
spanned ten years - beginning in 1917 with the
0-sized Cushion and ending in 1927 with the Oval.
Included in the geometric models are the Cushion
(0-sized, Cushion Round and Cushion Form Opening), the
Square, Barrel, Tonneau, Rectangular, and Oval.
